Hidden Truths
by Nausicaa82
Summary: (formerly Heartstrings) A revision of my old story. Julia Caraway-Loire is admitted into Garden and discovers some hidden truths about herself and her family in the process. Please read and review. I appreciate the criticism. No flames, please.
1. Default Chapter Title

Author's Notes: Um, well, I kinda forgot that I had this story in progress. (I haven't worked on it since Feb 2000! Oops…my bad!) I thought that since my first semester of college is finally over, it'd be pretty cool if I could continue working on this story. I kinda forgot where I wanted to go with it so I'm going to start by revising the Prologue and Chapter 1. I think I can only make it better. So please, I hope you enjoy it. And if you're so inclined to leave a review well then, hey, thanks a whole bunch!

Disclaimer: I don't anybody but the people I made up. It's not too hard to tell who they are.****

**Deling City**

"You two have to get out of here! Deling is looking for you and he won't stop until you're captured or killed!" A shrouded figure pushed a young couple forward. 

The man the figure had shoved stumbled backwards and glared at his assailant. The dark figure's face twisted to show his aggravation. "Get her out of here NOW!" The speaker motioned wildly to the woman at his side.

For the first time, the woman glanced backwards, her chocolate hair whipping her face. "But what about the baby? We can't just leave her…" Her voice cracked as her husband protectively embraced her.

The mystery figure nodded, understanding her plight fully. "I'll take care of her until it's safe for you to come back. Now get out of the city before it's two late! You won't be any good to the girl if you're both dead!" The cloaked savior held his arms out to take the baby from the woman's arms. Reluctantly, she kissed the child on the forehead and gently handed to her new guardian. 

"I'll be waiting here for you to come back," the figure's voice held a tinge of sadness. "And so will she. I promise."

The husband nodded his agreement and pulled his wife towards him as they left the city. The woman glanced back towards the shadow of man and child one final time before breaking into a run to escape the carnage that was sure to follow them.

Moments after they were out of sight, a fiery explosion rocked the entire city. As several buldings in their vicinity crumbled around them, the aging man who had helped the pair escape knelt close to the ground, protecting the child in his arms. _How quickly this visit went wrong._ He held the baby closer to himself, rocking her in an attempt to subdue her wails. _Please come back safely. You owe to Julia._

Almost instinctively, the baby ceased her wailing and uncontrollable sobbing. "I hope your parents got out of here safely, sweetie." The baby wrinkled her nose and whimpered. "Shhhh," the man rocked her in his arms. "Don't you cry…you're a very lucky little girl…" His words of comfort were interrupted by the piercing voice of a young soldier.

"Excuse me, General Caraway, sir!" The soldier helped the man to his feet. "We were afraid when you went missing, that you had been caught in some of the crossfire. I'm so glad to have found you! I'm part of a search and rescue party sent out to find you." 

Caraway stood up straight. "Thank you, cadet." He saluted the soldier and sat back down on the ground, continuing to soothe the baby in his arms.

"Sir…" the cadet shifted nervously. "I have orders to bring you to the presidential palace for safekeeping. The assault is beginning to depreciate and I have strict orders that you remain unharmed." He laughed nervously. "After all, we can't have the head of the Galbadian forces relieve himself of his duties!"

With a simple nod, Caraway followed his rescuer after one last look towards where the young couple had been only moments before. _I won't lose you. I can't lose you. Rinoa, you're all I have left in the world. If only I could tell you that…_

***

**Deling City (Present)**

"Caraway!" Evan Rowan dodged a speeding car and crossed the busy intersection safely. He bent over, panting and wheezing from running after Julia Caraway for nearly 20 minutes.

"Evan!" Julia turned around laughing. She was strikingly beautiful. Her eyes were as clear and crystalline as the deepest sapphire lake. Her chocolate hair rustled slightly in the breeze causing strands of it to fall into her eyes. "I can't believe you! At least _I_ look before I cross the street!" She smiled broadly.

Evan gaped at her, as he did every time he looked at her. She was his best friend in the world, but he wanted her to be so much more…she just never seemed to show any romantic interest in him, much to his dismay. He was, however, broken out of his trance when she slapped him playfully on the back. "Well, now you've caught me!" She furrowed her eyebrows. "Well? Are you just going to stand there or are you going to tell me what was so important that you had to chase me all the way across town?" She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"I...." Evan stammered, looking for the right words. He knew she wouldn't be happy with the news he was about to deliver. He had practiced all morning at how he was going to break the news to her. If there was one thing he wanted, it was not to make Julia angry at him.

"You what?" Julia's eyes sparkled mischievously as she stepped closer to him.

Evan's face flushed. "I've enlisted in the Galbadian Military with my older brother." He braced himself for the attack he knew was going to come.

Julia's eyes narrowed. "How COULD you?!" She threw her hands in the air and stormed away from him. "I mean, Evan, you're my best friend in the whole world and you're joining with them?!"

"I thought you'd be happy for me..." Evan's face fell. He knew that he was lying to her and to himself. 

"HAPPY for you?! How could I be happy for you! You're going against everything this country is founded on, you're being a ridiculous, pompous, no good meanie and I just can't stand by and watch you throw away…"

"STOP IT!" 

Julia jumped back, shocked. In the 17 years she had known Evan, he'd never raised his voice to her. The thought and shock of it started to sting her eyes. "Why?"

Evan stepped closer to her, raising his voice. "You're grandfather is the head of the _entire_ army, Julia! You adore _him_! Why should you like me any less?!" He turned away and shoved his hands in his pockets as he began trudging down the hillside.

Julia stood at the top of the hill, stunned. No words came to her lips.

"I'm joining the army, Julia. I've already done it. It's too late. You can either hate me forever or live with it."

Julia stared motionless in amazed silence. After a few moments she began running down the hill_. I can't stay here anymore. I have to get away._

Evan saw her running towards him and his face brightened. _She's going to forgive me._ He turned towards her and opened his arms for a hug, but was shocked when she ran past him without even acknowledging him. He dropped his arms as tears stung at his eyes. _It's over…_

Julia had seen Evan waiting for her, but ignored him completely. She couldn't accept his decision. _Your best friend is not supposed to run away and join some army that doesn't even fight for the right morals and go off to get killed!_ She had one thought on her mind – escape.

Deling City had been rebuilt to nearly an exact replica of its prior self after the fires had ravaged the countryside nearly two decades before. In fact, the city had even been built up upon and expanded to suit the needs of the people living there as well as advances in technology. The Galbadian army, however, was always on patrol. It never ceased to amaze and incense Julia that she seemed a prisoner in her own hometown. 

After making her way across the entire city, she finally approached the long roadway that led to her grandfather's mansion. For the first time in her life, she didn't run or skip joyfully to the front door. Instead, she trudged up to it crying. She had never imagined that Evan would betray her like he had. They were happy children when they were younger, always playing in the garden behind Caraway's home. They hadn't known anything of armies or warfare. _When did all of that change? When did we grow up?_

Julia opened the door quietly. "Grandpa?" she called as she walked throughout the empty house. "Grandpa, where are you?" she gently knocked on his office door. No answer. She gingerly opened it and approached his massive mahogany desk. Pulling out a piece of notepaper, she quickly filled a fountain pen with ink and began writing.

Dear Grandpa,

Something terrible has happened. I can't stay in Deling anymore. I know I had always promised you that I would never ever leave like Mama did, but I have to take that promise back. Please don't worry or be angry at me. Your little Angel will be fine. I can take care of myself.

I can't tell you where I'm going because to tell you the truth I really aren't sure myself. The only thing I can say is don't come after me. I'll come home someday, but I can't say for sure when. I promise I'll come back. I know you'll be here waiting.

Thank you for everything you've done for me. I know it must have been hard for you to raise a little girl all by yourself after all that time, and I really appreciate it. Mama might have abandoned me, but you were the best parent figure I could ever hope for. I love you, Grandpa, and I always will. Please don't look at my running away as something horrible. It isn't your fault at all. You couldn't help it. It wasn't Evan's fault either, I swear, so don't take it out on him. Things have been building up for a long time and I just got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I hope one day you'll see that I'm right and leave this horrible country too. 

I love you, Grandpa!

Your little Angel,

Julia

Julia folded the letter and placed it on Caraway's desk. Almost as if in a trance, she climbed the stairs to her room and pulled a duffel bag out of her closet. Haphazardly throwing various items of clothing into it, she ran into her grandfather's room and pulled out a large sum of Gil out from under the mattress and shoved that into the bag as well. Julia zippered the bag and ran downstairs.

General Caraway stopped her dead in her tracks. He had just come home from a military meeting. Julia ran up to him and hugged him quickly. "I love you, Grandpa," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She released her hold on the aging general and rushed towards the train station before he could do anything to stop her. By the time he found the note and went after her, she would already be on a train to Trabia. 

Caraway stood in stunned silence as he watched his granddaughter run down the driveway. She had always had a lot of spunk not unlike another young lady he had reared several years ago. He frowned. He thought of Rinoa every day. He had given up hope long ago that she and Squall had survived the coup that was hunting them down. Each day Julia grew to look and act more and more like her. _You should be here with your daughter, Rinoa. She thinks you abandoned her and I can't convince her otherwise. I wasn't there for you and look how you regarded me. I don't want that to happen to you if you and Squall are still out there somewhere…_

He sighed and opened the door to his office. He had a lot of work to do and many documents to look over before he met with the President the next morning. The elections were coming up and he doing everything he could to assist in Deling's reelection. He had to. If he didn't, his life and his job would be terminated. Caraway placed the mountain of paper work on his desk before noticing a small envelope.

His brow creased with wonder when he saw Julia's handwriting on it. Placing his briefcase on the rug beside him, he sat in a large leather chair and read the contents of the letter. He couldn't be shocked no matter how hard he tried. Julia had too much of Rinoa in her not to pull a stunt like this. He knew he would never be able to stop her once she had her mind made up.

Caraway folded the letter and lovingly placed it in a desk drawer that he usually locked. Julia's letter now had a place among all of his prized possessions – among them his and Rinoa's wedding photos, Julia and Rinoa's infant portraits, and several crayon drawings. _I love you too, Julia._ He smiled sadly and began his paperwork.

***

**Balamb City**

"I think this is your stop, miss." Julia awoke to a gentle tapping on her shoulder. Her eyelids rose slowly. Blinking a few times, her eyesight began to focus. She sat up and peered into the cheerful face of a sailor. She had been eternally grateful for having to get off the train in Trabia. She despised trains.

"Thank you." She reached under her seat to grab her duffel bag and stood in line to exit to the deck. "Wait! Sir?" Julia motioned to the sailor.

"Yes, miss?"

"Could you tell me where a Garden is? I heard there's one near here, but I've never been out of Deling before and I could use a few directions. I was supposed to go to Trabia, but apparently it was bombed or something and they never rebuilt it."

"You're from Deling?" The sailor's face grew pale. "You haven't come here to spy on Balamb so your army can overrun it have you?" His face masked the fear that was evident in his voice.

Julia shook her head violently. "No, sir."

The man relaxed and laughed jovially. "Well, then you must mean that you're looking for Balamb Garden. I don't think that you'll be able to miss it. You can see it from the body shop to the South of the city."

"Thank you." Julia stepped off the ship and began to walk south. She was so much in awe of the city. It was completely unlike Deling – very rural and quaint. She stared at all of the buildings and was so wrapped up in sightseeing that it was too late when she noticed she was walking straight into a teenage boy. They collided and Julia was thrown to the ground.

"Watch it!" he snapped as he helped her up. "You should really be careful." 

His face softened when he saw the look of anger on her face. He handed her her duffel bag. "Say, do I know you?" Julia shook her head. "That's strange. I could have sworn I've seen you before." He adjusted the yellow tie on his blue shirt. Julia threw him a puzzled look. She had never seen clothing quite like that before. He smiled when he noticed Julia's stare. "Trust me, I wouldn't wear this of my own free will. It's a Garden uniform."

Julia's eyes flashed when she heard him mention Garden. "Garden?"

"Sure! You've never heard of Balamb Garden? It's right outside the city..."

"Can you take me there, please? That's where I was heading. I want to enroll." She nearly threw herself at him with excitement.

The boy's grin widened. "Of course!" He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You wish is my command, my lady."

Julia glared at him skeptically, placing her hands on her hips. "Who ARE you, anyway?"

Her companion laughed, his light brown hair falling over his eyes. "Sorry. Reese Kinneas." His eyes twinkled. "And while we're doing introductions who are you?"

Julia shifted her feet. "I'd rather not say..." She was sure that the name Caraway was known throughout the continent. If anyone found out that she was the daughter of their greatest enemy she would be big trouble. Reese, however, remained insistent.

"Aww, come on! It's called an introduction! I tell you my name, you tell me yours! That's the way it has to go." Reese's eyes crinkled when he smiled.

"Julia Caraway." She braced herself for a lashing that would never come.

"There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Whatever..." For once in her life, Julia was at a loss of words. She couldn't let herself get close to _anyone_ or they would find her out and keep her as a prisoner to use as bait against Galbadia.

***

**Balamb Garden**

"Well, Miss Caraway, since you haven't filled out an application or taken a entrance exam, I shouldn't admit you into Garden," Headmaster Cid Kramer sat in front of Julia. Oddly enough, Julia hardly felt intimidated by the aging man, even though he sat behind a large mahogany desk, not unlike her grandfather's and had a countenance similar to his own.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but I've come all they way from Deling City just to train here. Please give me at least a chance. I can't stand where Galbadia is heading and I can't stand by idly and watch my home be destroyed." Julia begged although it was something she usually didn't do.

"Well, young lady, I was going to finish by saying that there's something about you that I think would help you blend in well here. I'll assign you a private instructor to help you get caught up with training and studying." Headmaster Cid smiled.

"Thank you, so much!" It was all Julia could do to keep from hugging the man. He reminded her so much of her grandfather that she couldn't help liking him from the start.

"It's nothing. Just prove to me that I did the right thing by bending the rules for you, my dear." Cid handed her a neatly folded uniform. "Welcome to Garden, Julia. I'm sure you'll fit in quite nicely here."

Author's notes: Well, I can't say it's much better than the first version, but it's getting there. As you can probably tell I've changed a couple of things around, most of which will be more noticeable during the next chapter. I hope y'all like it and this time, I promise to go beyond one chapter! LOL


	2. Default Chapter Title

_This has to be the single most ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life!_ Julia loosened the yellow bow at her throat._ I feel like I'm being choked!_ She sat on the bed and glanced around the double dormitory room she'd be calling home for a while. "It's not too bad," she assured herself. It was a small room, not very many decorations, but that suited Julia just fine. Garden had not been what she had expected it to be. Instead of being a training ground, it was more of a non-stop social event – and Julia was not too fond of it.

Julia jumped, startled by a sudden and unexpected knock at her door. 

"Julia?" A clearly female voice greeted her from the other side of the door. "Julia, I'm Jess from the room next door. I wanted to know if I could maybe come in and say hi or at least show you where the classroom is on 2F. Class starts in 10 minutes, you know!" Julia remained silent. She didn't feel like talking to anyone just now. She needed to be alone with her thoughts. 

Jess, however, remained insistent and knocked again. "Julia? Are you alright?" Julia was silent. She had lost her best friend and her grandfather in the same day. She had to adjust to the new environment. Couldn't this girl understand that? She was interrupted from her thoughts by several clicking noises coming from the door. It swung open, revealing a girl, about 17 years old, dressed in a Garden uniform crouching down close to the floor. She winked.

"I've locked myself out of these rooms enough times to know how to get back in!" She laughed, causing her light brown hair to bounce. Her aqua eyes were sparkling. She stood up and held up the small object in her hand. "Hairpin. These things have a million uses."

Julia's face remained emotionless. "I wanted to be left alone."

Jess's smiled faded and her eyes flashed. "Well, why didn't you just say so, then? You can't expect me to know what you want if you don't tell me, do you?" Her smile brightened again. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it? You're stuck now. So c'mon, we're gonna be late for class! You don't want to make a bad impression on your first day, do you?" She grabbed Julia's hand and began dragging her out into the hallway.

"Whatever. It doesn't really matter."

Jess stared at her. "You know, you are really gonna be one tough shell to crack, aren't you?" She pressed the up button for the elevator. "Well, anyway, our class is a pretty full one. You'll probably get the terminal in the back, it's the only one that's still open." The elevator screeched to a halt on the second floor. They stepped out onto an empty hallway. "Oh maaaan!" Jess slapped her forehead and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Julia stared at Jess.

"I'm late again! Man, am I gonna get it! C'mon, let's go!" Jess ran up ahead and Julia followed slowly. Jess threw the classroom door open, panting. She threw her arms above her head screaming, "I'm here!!" She lowered her arms as the whole class turned to stare at her.

The instructor glared at her. "Miss Kinneas, you're late _again_. This is the third time this week and it's only Wednesday!" He shook his head in exasperation. "Part of being a SeeD is punctuality. What am I going to do with you?"

Jess lowered her head and kicked at the ground. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Please stay after class." The instructor fought a smile.

"Oh maaaan!!" Jess approached her terminal dejectedly and the entire class burst into laughter.

The instructor turned to Julia. "And you must be Miss Julia Caraway..." He held out his hand.

"Yes, sir." Julia stared at his hand, but made no motion to shake it.

The instructor lowered his arm and shook his head. _Sometimes history _does_ repeat itself!_ He thought shaking his head at his newest student. "I'm Instructor Dincht. Please take a seat at the empty terminal towards the back." He guided her towards the back of the room. Julia sat quietly and turned on her computer.

As the instructor began lecturing, Julia took the liberty of gazing across the room. There were about twenty students in the room and from her seat she could survey what each of them were doing. Jess was sitting towards the front and had her head on her desk. The boy sitting directly in front of her, she thought she recognized him as the one who had escorted her to Garden. _Reese, was it? _He had his hand on Jess's shoulder and was whispering to her. She seemed upset about receiving a detention and was whimpering and burying her head into his shoulder. A blonde girl towards the opposite corner of the room was staring blankly into space, obviously not listening to one word of the lecture. The red-headed boy next to her was furiously jotting down every last word that flew from the instructor's mouth. A few other students were playing cards under the table...

"_Pssst._" The note-scribbler next to her was tapping her maniacally on the shoulder.

"Will you stop it?" Julia hissed at him.

The boy looked like he had just been punched in the face. "I...I'm sorry, Miss Caraway...but..." he stammered.

She folded her arms. "What?"

Julia and the boy jumped as the instructor approached their desk and slammed his fist on it. "Kramer, if you insist on speaking, please be so kind as to tell the class what you were about to say."

The boy's eyes grew wide. "It was nothing."

Julia could see the fear in the boy's eyes. _Probably some perfect disciplinary record broken or something. How shallow._

Instructor Dincht tapped his foot impatiently. "Shane, we're all waiting."

"I was just going to ask Miss Caraway if she needed help using the computer. I just noticed that she was the only student without hers on." Shane stammered.

The class burst into laughter as the blonde girl quickly flipped her screen on so that she, too, wouldn't be caught not paying attention to the lecture. She flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up to Jess.

"Alright, I see that we're not going to get any work done today. I just hope that when the time comes for your SeeD tests that you are able to pass with flying colors. Class dismissed." Zell shook his head, grinning as a mass exodus began to take place.

"Caraway and Dincht, I would like to see you after class along with Miss Kinneas."

Julia stood up and moved towards the front of the classroom along with the blonde and Jess. "Don't worry," the blonde whispered. "He never really does anything really serious to us. After all, he _is_ my father and he doesn't want us to get into _too_ much trouble."

They quieted as Zell stepped in front of them. "Jess, ordinarily I should be reporting you to the Headmaster for your continually interruptive behavior. But I've decided to make an exception. I do, after all, remember how boring classes can be. However, if you are late to class one more time this week, I'm afraid that I'll have to make sure disciplinary action is taken." 

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She jumped up and hugged the instructor around the neck. "I LOVE you, Mr. Dincht! Did I ever tell you that? You're my _favorite_!!"

Zell chuckled. "Is there ever a time when you aren't so full of energy?" Jess shook her head furiously.

"Lee," he gestured towards the blonde and his voice turned serious. "I've noticed your productivity in class has been steadily decreasing and that you're more concerned with being funny that getting your work done. I'm afraid that I cannot recommend you to take the written SeeD exam if this behavior persists..."

"What?!" Lee stepped back and rose her fists. "You can't do that! You won't do that! I can't let you! You're my father! You're supposed to give me special privileges and besides, if I don't pass the test, you'll kill me! Absolutely murder me! I'll be pulled out of Garden!"

"Then I suggest you make more of an effort to be more studious and serious during class. Believe me, sweetie, I know. I was the same way. But you have to realize what's right." Zell patted Lee on the back while she continued to pout. "And, don't raise your fists at me, young lady, unless you want to be grounded. Now, Julia," he turned towards her. "I know this must be an adjustment for you. Please try to not let the antics of these two influence you. From what I've heard from the Headmaster, he expects that you'll be an asset to this Garden. Don't let him be disappointed."

Julia stood in silence, and nodded. ".......Yes, sir."

"Good. You're all dismissed."

They left the classroom and were greeted by Shane and Reese who were waiting in the hallway.

"How'd it go? What'd he say? What took you so long in there?" Reese's eyes were filled with worry. "The last thing I need is for you to be expelled, Jess. Mom and Dad would make sure that I got the blame somehow."

"Lee might not be allowed to take the written exam." Shane.

"What did you say, Kramer?" Lee stepped forward. "Who told you that? Did your father the high almighty 'headmaster' say something to you that I should know about? Just because you may be a little bit smarter than me doesn't mean that I'm an idiot! I swear, if you're hiding something from me..." She raised her fist and began to barrel it towards him.

"Lee, stop it!" Reese stepped in front of her and attempted to grab her hand. "He didn't mean anything by it. I sent him to listen at the door."

Lee's fist connected with Reese squarely in the nose. Reese staggered back, clutching his bloody nose.

"Reese!" Jess jumped forward. "Lee! You just smacked him in the face! You could've broken his nose!"

"Stay out of this, Jess. This is between me and Kramer and your brother was just stupid enough to get in the way!" She pushed Jess aside.

Julia stepped to the side. _This is ridiculous. I've never seen anybody act like such a baby. Maybe I was better off in Deling._ She began to walk away from the fight that was no doubt about to ensue.

Shane tried to avoid his attacker while Jess was leaning over Reese who was on the floor covering his nose. The blow had only caused a bloody nose, but it caught him off guard enough to make him fall backwards. 

"This is it, Kramer! You are gonna get it!" Lee grabbed Shane's collar and pinned him to a wall nearby.

"Lee, leave me alone, I didn't mean to blurt it out like that! We were worried about you in there!" Shane kicked her away and ran towards the opposite end of the hallway, close to where Julia was watching. Lee ran after him, swinging wildly. Her fist finally connected with flesh. Julia could hardly anticipate the oncoming onslaught and fell to the floor unconscious as a result of the unexpected blow to the stomach.

Shane and Lee lowered their fists and stared at each other. "Oh my God..." Lee stepped forward and kneeled down next to Julia's still form. "Julia?" No answer.

"Look what you did, Lee!" Jess ran over, leaving her brother, whose was just beginning to stop bleeding.

"I didn't mean it," Lee looked towards Connor. "I just lose my temper sometimes. I really didn't mean it. I didn't!"

***

"Julia?" A wave of icy water splashed Julia's face. She shot up, coughing. She glanced around her surroundings, noticing the dark haired woman in the corner. "Where am I?" Her eyes began to adjust to the light and her vision cleared. "Who are you?"

The woman laughed and pulled her green shawl closer to herself. "My it _is_ hard to forget that you aren't your mother. Your face is her carbon copy. But you do have your father's eyes and that hair! It's almost identical to his. Your bangs even flop in your face in the same way. It's a pity, though, that you have his disposition." She held a wet washcloth to Julia's forehead.

"What do you mean?" Julia was thoroughly puzzled.

The woman smiled. "I must say, General Caraway did an excellent job of raising you. It must have been hard for him, considering how much he dislikes your father."

Julia's eyes slanted. "Who are you? And what are you talking about? I haven't got any parents!"

The woman's eyes crinkled as she smiled. "You're wrong there, sweetheart. Your parents miss you very much."

Julia flinched, and moved the woman's hand away from her forehead. "I have to leave." She tried to stand up, but her legs collapsed underneath of her.

"Oh, no. You're not going anywhere yet, young lady." Her caretaker settled her back into the bed. "You're going to have to rest for a little bit longer."

Julia's eyelids grew heavy. "But where am I?" She murmured as she began to fall asleep.

"That's it. Sleep." She held the washcloth up to Julia's forehead again. "Cry-Baby Zell's little girl certainly let you have it."

The connection was broken.

***

"Is she awake yet?" A familiar voice asked.

_Was that a dream?_ Julia thought inwardly

"I don't think so. She's been asleep for three whole days! I hope she's alright." Julia recognized this voice as Reese's.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Lee. I didn't think you were even that strong!" Jess added.

_It must've been._

"I know! I'll never forgive myself and I'll never make SeeD now either! I really didn't mean it. It was an accident." Lee said weakly.

"Hey, Dr. Kadowski, I think she's starting to wake up." Shane called.

_What woman could possibly know who my parents are?_

Julia heard footsteps coming from another room. "So, she is! It's about time!" Julia's eyes flew open. She was face to face with a friendly looking woman in a white lab coat. She sat up quickly. A wave of dizziness washed over her, but she tried her best to ignore it. 

"Do I know you?" Julia was very cautious of her surroundings.

"Not yet, no. Dr. Kadowski. When the nurse at the infirmary couldn't get you to wake up, Cid arranged for me to come around to try and help."

"I have to get out of here." Julia tried to stand, but her legs were still wobbly.

"Oh no you don't!" She felt a strong arm grab her by the waist and ease her back onto the bed. "You need to get better first."

Julia frowned. "No. I'm going home."

"Julia, you can't!" Reese jumped up to block her path.

"Whatever."

"Reese, it's useless. She won't listen." Jess interjected.

Dr. Kadowski laughed. "Julia, it's no use going home yet. You might as well wait until you feel better."

Julia was vaguely aware of someone grabbing her hand. "Oh, Julia, I'm awfully sorry. I never meant for this to happen." Lee's blonde hair hung limply to her shoulders and her eyes were rimmed in red. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"......Yeah, whatever."

"Well, Julia," Dr. Kadowski approached her. "I've taken a look at all of your medical records, and it seems that you ought to be able to leave the infirmary. Just don't do anything strenuous for a few days or you might suffer a relapse of the concussion."

Jess helped her out of the bed and supported her as she regained her balance. "C'mon, let's get you back to your room."

Jess, Reese, Shane, and Lee walked with her back to the dormitory room. When she was decidedly settled, the entourage left, leaving Jess behind. She perched on the edge of the bed next to Julia.

"She does things like this sometimes. She usually doesn't mean them, she just gets carried away." Jess blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"Tell me something Jess," Julia turned to face the other girl. "Do you have grandparents?"

Jess stared at her for a moment. "Not that I know of even though I never really thought about it before. My parents were both orphans since before they could remember."

Julia grabbed her pillow and hugged it against her. "What are your parents like, Jess?"

"Why are you asking me all of these questions all of a sudden? You never seemed like you wanted to have anything to do with us before you got hit."

Julia knitted her eyebrows. "To be honest, I don't know. Part of me wants to shut everything out so I'll never be hurt again. If I don't get close to anyone, they won't be able to leave me." She closed her eyes. _Like Evan... What am I thinking? I never thought about him like _that_ before...I still don't. I guess I just miss being friends._

"What about the other part of you?"

"The other part of me just wants to be a 17 year old girl. To have private jokes with someone, to share girl talk with her mother, to positively annoy her father by defying every word he says..." She stopped talking. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and stared out the window.

Jess hugged her. "Then be both! Visit your parents and just sit and talk with them!"

Julia sighed and stood up. Turning to face Jess, she threw her arms up in the air. "That's the problem! I haven't got ANY parents! They abandoned me when I was three months old. They never wrote to me, or called me, or tried to make any connection with me whatsoever! They left me with my grandfather! I love him to death, but it's just not the same!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Jess inched towards the wall. "I'm sorry. I just want to know what its like."

Jess smiled. "Alright, then. My mother's almost like a sister to me. We can talk about almost anything. My dad says that we're two peas in a pod. My mom always laughs and says that him and Reese are exact clones of each other. I guess that's why him and I get along so well. We're just like our parents. My dad's a real clown. He used to have this huge cowboy hat that I used to wear when I was little and he'd always push it over my face so I couldn't see."

"Do you see them a lot?"

"No, not really. But I talk to them all the time. See, my mother's the headmistress at Trabia. She's trying desperately to rebuild it, and she comes over sometimes on business. If not, Cid lets me talk to them on her communicator." Jess frowned in thought. "You don't remember your parents at all?"

Julia lowered her head. "No, I've never met them. I don't even know if they're still alive. I don't know what their names are, I don't know what they look like, or even what their last name is. I know it's not Caraway." She shook her head. "I think I might want to be alone for a little bit. Thank you for talking to me."

Jess smiled and got up to open the door. "Sure. Whenever you need to talk, we're all here to listen."

"I know."

The door closed softly behind her.


	3. Default Chapter Title

Winhill, Galbadia

Winhill hadn't changed much since the Second Sorceress War. If anything, the buildings were much more dilapidated and the town was more deserted than ever. The monsters were gone with no traces left behind and it seemed as if the town had been dropped from recognition. No outsiders ever entered the city and most of the residents had moved to Deling after it had been rebuilt after the fire.

Winhill was a ghost town.

The young man crouched behind an overturned wheelbarrow was hardly noticeable until he pulled the trigger of his shot gun causing a can perched on a nearby fence to explode in a ball of shrapnel.

He placed the shotgun on the ground and walked over to the fence to inspect the damage to the can. He nodded his blonde head in approval, his hair falling into his green eyes. His mouth widened into a smile. Sure that no one was watching, he screamed his excitement and ran to a dilapidated house towards the center of the town.

"Mama!" The boy ran at lightning speed, stopping at the door to the home. He knocked furiously at the door, panting with excitement. "Mama, I finally did it! Mama, open the door! Papa, are you there?"

The boy glanced up as a window on the second floor was opened. A blonde woman poked her head out. "Rider, sweetie, use the back door, please." She took her glasses off and rubbed them on her shirttail.

17-year old Rider Almasy sighed. "Allright, Mama, I'll be right there!"

He moved to the back of the house and jumped the fence to the backyard. Opening the door, he removed his coat and dropped it on the floor. Taking the steps two at a time, Rider made his way upstairs to his mother.

It never ceased to amaze him how run-down the house was. Although he was born in this cottage and had never lived anywhere else, Rider couldn't help but wonder why his parents insisted on secluding themselves in this town. When he was younger, he remembered leafing through old textbooks of his mother's and marveling at the photographs. It still amazed him that places where there was more than one family and the technology was more advanced than the old electric stove in the kitchen. And if they didn't want to leave the town, at least they could try to fix the house up a bit. _It's not like we're living in filth or anything, but they could at least freshen up the paint or something._ Rider shook his head. He'd tried talking to his father before, but he refused to listen. His answer always remained the same: "It's safer this way."

Finally reaching his parents' bedroom, Rider knocked softly on the door. 

"Come in," his mother's voice was barely audible.

Rider swung the door open to reveal his mother crouched on the floor peering under the bed. She waved her hand at him. "Hold on Rider, honey, I lost a screw for my glasses and I think it might have rolled under here."

"Let me see if I can help you out." Rider knelt down besides his mother. After searching for a few minutes, his hand brushed across the missing hardware. "Found it, Mama!" he called.

He crawled out from under the bed and watched with amusement as his mother hit her head as she tried to stand up. "Oww!" She sat on her knees and rubbed her head.

Rider handed the screw to his mother who picked up a screwdriver from the dresser and began repairing the bifocals. "So what was it that you were so excited about honey?"

Rider's face brightened. "I did it!"

"Did what?"

Rider grinned. "With the gun! I finally hit the target!"

Rider's mother's head jerked up. "You did?" She approached him and hugged him tightly. Rider's face reflected his embarrassment. "Oh, sweetie, I am so proud of you! I know how hard you've been working!"

"You and Papa have to keep your end of the bargain, don't forget!" Rider grinned, but was interrupted by yelling from downstairs.

"Rider! Quistis! Where are you two? Get down here, I've got a surprise for the two of you!" Seifer Almasy slammed the door behind him. "And Rider, pick this coat up off the floor!"

Rider jetted down the stairs and grabbed the coat from his father's hands. "Sorry, Papa." 

Quistis followed adjusting the glasses on her face. "Seifer, Rider hit one of those cans you set up for him this afternoon."

Seifer smiled and ruffled Rider's hair. "Wonderful! I guess you'll be wanting to go for some real training then, huh?"

Rider smiled. "Papa, you know that I've wanted to go my whole entire life!"

Seifer smirked, "I don't know…"

Rider rolled his eyes. "You promised!"

"Allright, we'll look into it."

"What was that surprise you came in here screaming about?" Quistis moved to Seifer's side and leaned on his shoulder, twirling his hair. 

Pecking her on the cheek, Seifer's eyes moved to Rider. "I enrolled a certain someone in Galbadia Garden…"

Rider's eyes lit up. "Oh thank you! Thank you so much, Papa!" 

Seifer opened his arms. "C'mere kiddo!"

Rider couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Dad, I'm 17 years old! I'm not supposed to do stuff like that anymore!"

Seifer mocked a hurt countenance. "Allright. Get yourself to bed. You've got an early day tomorrow. We've got to get you packed and drive over to Deling so we can get you on a bus to the Garden."

"Goodnight Papa, goodnight Mama," Rider kissed his mother on the cheek before going back up the stairs. From the foyer, he could faintly hear his mother giggling probably due to his father's playful advances. 

Closing the door to his room, Rider got dressed into a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt and laid down on his bed. _I can't believe this is happening. I've dreamed of this my whole life! I've never been out of this stupid hick town before and to go to Garden! This is a dream come true…_

Rider drifted off to sleep, but his slumber was filled with fitful dreams.

***

Her eyes were bluer than sapphires. Rider had never seen anything like it before. He could tell the girl was pretty when her back was turned to him, but when she turned to face him, he drew in his breath with surprise.

"What are you staring at?" The girl glared at him, her hands on her hips.

"N—nothing at all!" Rider stammered. _You idiot. You have the most beautiful girl…the only girl you've ever seen standing right in front of you and you act like an ass. Nice going._

"Look, I shouldn't even be talking to you. We're supposed to be enemies after all."

"Enemies?" Rider raised a blonde eyebrow.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, enemies. For years we've been fighting against Galbadian oppression."

Rider gazed at her in puzzlement. "What did we ever do to you? I don't even know what you're talking about! You've got a Galbadian accent, yourself! Aren't you being a bit hypocritical?" _Great. Insult her, Romeo._

"Look, I really should go." The girl twirled a strand of her dark hair. "Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

"I hope so."

***

Julia could feel his eyes on her. She shifted uncomfortably and turned to face him. The sight of him shocked her, however. His blonde hair fell into his emerald green eyes. Taken aback, Julia tried to regain her composure. "What are you staring at?" She glared at him, her hands on her hips.

"N—nothing at all!" the boy stammered. 

Julia practically melted at the sound of his voice, but remained firm. Other than his eyes, she noticed his accent. "Look, I shouldn't even be talking to you. We're supposed to be enemies after all."

"Enemies?" He seemed shocked at her statement.

Julia rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to hold a much different conversation with him. "Yes, enemies. For years we've been fighting against Galbadian oppression." Her eyes burned with the passion she felt both for him and for her principles.

He gazed at her in puzzlement. "What did we ever do to you? I don't even know what you're talking about! You've got a Galbadian accent, yourself! Aren't you being a bit hypocritical?" 

Julia was rendered speechless at his comment. _He's right you know. You are being a traitor to your own country – to your own family!_ She shook the thoughts from her head. "Look, I really should go." Julia twirled a strand of her dark hair. "Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

"I hope so."

_Me too_.

***

# Balamb Garden

Julia woke with a start. _What a strange dream!_ She sat up, frowning. _I've been having a lot of those lately, but this one seemed a bit different. That boy…I feel like I should know him from somewhere._ She sighed. _Maybe Lee hit me harder than I thought she did._

Julia sighed and spied her uniform on the far wall. Groaning, she got out of bed and changed quickly. She had almost overslept during her private training session. Headmaster Cid had assigned Instructor Dincht to teach her how to use some sort of weaponry. 

Slamming the door to her dorm room, she began to march towards the training center. Ignoring Jess' cheery good-mornings, she ground her jaw and braced herself for the strenuous activity she knew Zell was gong to inflict upon her. 

Finally reaching the center with little distraction, she approached Zell. 

"Miss Caraway, Cid suggested that you begin training with a gunblade. I've got one in the corner for you." Zell nodded towards a large brown case beside him.

Julia's face paled. "A gunblade? Aren't they really difficult?"

Zell frowned. "Well, they are, but I'm sure you can handle it. That is, of course, unless you want to quit."

Julia eyes flashed with anger. "I'm not a quitter! Hand that thing over!"

Zell nodded his approval as he lifted the gunblade out of its case and handed it to her. 

************

Author's note: This chapter sucked butt. I mainly wanted to introduce Rider. And like always, suggestion are welcome.


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